Why are people so unkind and judgmental? Would you say such unkind things to a person's face? If Mr. Buatta filled a need by buying and keeping things who are we to judge? Let's please remember what The Master said - in paraphrase - the first most important thing is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind. I sincerely hope the people who were so unhappy yesterday are having a better day today.
115
Maybe, maybe... now that Mario Buatta is gone and his treasures dispersed we will see the rebirth of COLOR and chintz and gaiety !
Aren’t you all tired of the White on White on White with a touch of White in today’s homes. I am !
130
I too have buttah yellow walls on my mostly connected main floor. It is in varying intensities of the same color with the most vibrant being in the kitchen where it is mostly windows, cabinetry or appliances but the yellow is still visible and still looks warm, welcoming and fun! My dining table cloth is a striped bronze for fall and reverses to a rich aubergine and yellow. The rugs are all old Varamin with deep reds and blues. A friend whose home is all "open concept" and decorated in grey, white and black asked why my home always felt so warm and cozy. I said I only use things I want to touch in colors I look good wearing!
61
In traditional English interiors, chintz is present but used sparingly, as an accent. Not covering everything in sight.
Mr. Buatta's color and flair have their appeal though, as do the quirkiness and variety of his antiques. I like the interest and complexity of those traditionally inspired interiors.
I think the current popularity of quiet white and gray rooms comes from a desire for relief from the surfeit of colored images constantly moving at a rapid pace across all our screens.
41
I much prefer his style to the all-white, minimal style that is rampant today. He had taste, he had style, and he had personality. He had a vision and he stayed true to it. Why criticize him? I think it will be a fabulous sale.
89
I love the expression “horror vacui” which I had never heard except in the French equivalent “la nature a horreur du vide.” After looking it up, discovered that it was from Aristotle as a postulate in physics. So maybe instead of saying Mr. Buata was the “Prince of Chintz,” we could say he practiced “Aristotelian design.”
54
In light of what passes for interior design, Mr. Buatta's work is a breath of fresh air. This is a phrase I never imagined I would use referencing this designer's work, but then I never could have imagined that gray and white, white and gray, gray, black and white would rule the day...or at least the NYTimes Real estate section.
By the way, is there anyone else out there that does not understand why there is so little actual style in the style section?
104
Beautifully written article.
45
Glad to know that there are still a few of us alive that appreciate well-made furniture, fine porcelain, art, even needlepoint pillows. Not everyone wants to live in cardboard-pressed IKEA furniture and cheap Pottery Barn china. Viva Mario!
120
I admire those who are capable of such self-invention. This is a kid from Staten Island who managed to live a pretty big life. I find some parallels in Mr. Buatta’s story and the recent story of Faith Consolo: the facade of public life and the reality of private life can be in stark contrast. IG-addicted youngsters, take note!
33
I worked in a store on Madison and 61st where he was an occasional customer back in the '80s. Once, after a fellow clerk was abrupt with him and walked away, I recognized him, asked if I could help, and he was wonderful. He clearly appreciated my using his name, and went off on a gentle tirade about the younger generation not exerting themselves. It was lovely. Don't remember what if anything he bought.
103
Had the distinct pleasure to meet Mr. Buatta years ago . A true gentleman. Charming, engaging and curious and a wicked sense of humor. He could have done a stand up comedian. Unfortunately, his style and attributes are woefully no longer encountered these days...
68
The fruits of capitalism. Frankl my dear, Trumpian.
Instead of antiques why not support many semi-starving artists making more stuff for the landfill? No reason everything needs to be pressed wood and come from Ikea. Amazing what one can find to fill one's decorating needs on the streets of NYC.
17
I love the pictures of Mr. Buatta’s treasure trove. He clearly had an exquisite taste and a great sense of humor. He had fun. Ms. Eerdmans too must have had tons of enjoyment going through his stuff!
38
This decor style is not my taste, but it's comforting to hear about a decorator for the 1% who had this blasé an attitude about dust. He sounds very amusing.
51
Goodness, so many censorious people. Fine, maybe Mr. Buatta contributed nothing to world peace, but he designed beautiful interiors that made many people very happy. Yes, his work was very expensive, so that only very rich people could afford it—but it was imaginative and executed with enormous attention to detail—plus, it was colorful and friendly and yes, life affirming, and served as an on-going inspiration to many people.
His style was also remarkably complex, drawing on the traditions of the English country house, specifically as seen through the eyes of an expatriate American woman living in England between the wars, whose personal style had far reaching and international influence.
The objects he favored were also extremely sophisticated, ranging from blue and white Chinese porcelains from kilns that were the forerunners of assembly line mass production, to various 'loving hands at home' skills which in the 18th & early 19th cent. gave young English ladies the polish deemed necessary for them to be considered cultured members of Georgian society. (Yes, he was an ardent Anglophile.)
Finally, his work was no more or no less ephemeral than any other aspect of fashion, and certainly no less valuable for being based on a certain frivolity, very much in the tradition of the French court who took serious things lightly, and light things seriously.
Viva Mario!!
97
As Tony Duquette famously said: "More is more". Not at all my taste, but I love the sheer exuberance of it.
62
Oh, those fabulous lettuce plates! Still breathtaking to me. How wonderfully they'd stand out in my sleek, modern, white kitchen. To me, that's what minimalism is for: to showcase something beautiful, whimsical, meaningful.
My favorite room features a single painting: a cow in a top hat and monocle. Because it's my home, that's why.
52
I think some commenters remarking on the decoration of his rooms (not his hoard) are missing the point of the style -- opulent English country, as opposed to realistic, often more tatty and less overfilled English country. Yes, it can get dusty, because you're supposed to have servants who clean your country house. It's not a style most of us could live with, but it's fun to spend time in rooms like this.
57
It’s like bonfire or the vanities run amok. A nice place to visit but I couldn’t live with most of it. When I got engaged in 1997 I had one rule- no chatchkas. No regrets.
8
I love his taste,. love of chintz his sense of impeccable balance. I love is buttah yellow rooms. He was amazing.
41
Jeez, as always, everybody's got an opinion. So tastes and styles change. A guy's gotta make a living.
The mouldering Connecticut house? The poor housekeeping? Maybe as styles and tastes changed, the commissions dried up.
Armchair psychology started long before social became science. Still an enjoyable pastime.
So many of the comments seem to say more about the commenter than Mr. Buatta. He had his day, and I hope he enjoyed it.
70
The entire time I lived in NYC my apartment was painted butter yellow. It is an incredibly cheery color. My studio certainly did not have the same furnishings, style or pedigree. I do remember during the 80's and 90's many people did pursue this look. It is reminiscent of Buckingham Palace, no?
25
There are photos of the Connecticut house online that show it is in very poor condition indeed. It’s an historic house and needs extensive restoration before it falls down.
17
I love his "horror vacui" , somewhat Victorian, decorating style. And the objects he loves are all beautiful.. The lettuce dishware is fantastic, as are the dog portraits.
32
thanks you for showing something pretty. I want my house to be pretty, in style or not in style.
59
Lettuce Ware. The quote about dogs walking on their hind legs come to mind: the marvel is not that it is done well, but that it is done at all.
17
A bygone era indeed. There's a lot to be said about the cheery and enthusiastic overabundance of his work. We could use some of that today. Catalog decor of monotone and cheap environmentally irresponsible junk, is depressing. Perhaps we should be upcycling and reusing all this wonderful 'stuff' in a slightly less crowded way rather than buying cheap unimaginative stuff online that will only end up in a landfill in a few years.
161
As a resident of Northeastern CT I drive by Mr Buatta's house in Thompson often. All I can say is his house on Thompson Green shows a total lack of respect for the residents of Thompson and Northeastern Ct. Shame on him for the deplorable condition it has remained in for years. He chose to walk away from the home years ago and has left a scar on the beautiful New England Green of Thompson CT
20
@Peggy Murphy ... Americans love independence and free enterprise one minute, and then community-mindedness and socialism the next. Why isn't Mr Buatta's choice to do what he likes with his private property respected as a personal decision of free will? For the effect it has on your property values? Hypocrisy and selfishness abound in your Connecticut.
38
@Peggy Murphy Maybe he was too sick to care for it or make decisions.
55
Several interesting things have happened recently:
A well known NYC interior designer mentioned more clients were ditching the mid-century modern, all neutral and minimalist looks for more color, more “ brown furniture “ and wallpaper.
A top real estate agent in PB mentioned that clients were “ sick of the all white, neutral look. There is too much of it,it all looks the same, and people are bored by it. It’s uniqueness is gone.”
The NYT’s recently had an article about integrating antique furniture into more modern interiors.
So...while Mario Buatta’s interiors may be overdone for many, bits of his “ style” appear to be coming back. Note the Thayer lettuce-ware, the lacquered and Asian pieces, and the beautiful fabric screens.
And if one looks closely, yellow is everywhere.
If I had the room, I’d buy up a few of these gems at the auction. He was ahead of the curve then and appears to be influencing interior design yet again ( though not the clutter ).
Timeless and forever.
130
I'm overwhelmed, my eyes need to rest.
7
My mother had 4 of those lettuce plates, probably purchased at the roof sale at Lord & Taylor. They were her “go to” plates for serving salad for everyday dinners. She used them so much, the finish started wearing off. They are long gone but seeing the picture of “Lettuce ware” brought back a distance memory. I never knew there dishes besides salad plates. A lettuce teapot? Who knew! I might have to start scouring eBay for some of this stuff (although I need more dishes like I need water in my boots!).
63
@Leslie N. There is much joy to be found in scouting out treasures you remember from childhood. I found rocks glasses that my parents had when I was little, and I smile every time I use them.
33
@Leslie N. I like the expression "like I need water in my boots!"
36
Warm, comfy and beautiful, in English Country Style, and this reader was amused by 'The Ancestors', where mine are to be found in old photo albums.
Visiting my parent in Paris was a show of 18th century elegance, where no clutter was to be found, and beware of calling her a decorator with an 'exquisite eye'. Overlooking the Beaux-Arts, where she developed her passion in youth for architecture, the ballroom with two fireplaces at each end, served also as a dining-room, while one of her spouse's ancestors in military garb stared at the China porcelain.
Happy she was late in life as the guardian of some Louis XVI pieces, but it did make this visitor feel that one was staying in a museum.
She had a style of her own, and would have understood 'the happiness' of Mr. Buatta, never venturing that he change a single plate or pillow to make for more space.
When asking why all the apartments on Fifth Avenue looked much the same, she replied that the decorator knows that these are people who would like to live in The White House. And my parent was not far off the mark for 'The Prince of Chintz ' by Ms. Penelope's account, designed interiors for 'two presidents and Mariah Carey'.
Mr. Buatta's sense of wit in deploying his army of plastic cockroaches, would match a relation who always keeps an angry red-fanged plastic rat on a magnificent coffee-table. As for mice, Bustopher Jones here, would be in hunting paradise, and on loan in his shining tuxedo.
Autretemps.
34
@Miss Ley Thank you for sharing this story.
16
@Dylan,
It is a pleasure, and a comforting article to read in this cold climate.
10
This was an interesting read, but I have a hard time understanding how and why someone who many attest had impeccable taste (I'll take your word) and loved everything he bought could allow his precious finds to 1) become covered in layers of dust; 2) be displayed in such a haphazard way as depicted in these photos; and 3) be hidden away in five storage units where no one could appreciate his beloved "family." I always thought that if you love and value something you take care of it, which would include providing for it after your passing. This strikes me as stuff for the sake of stuff. Sad, indeed.
16
In 1998 Christopher Lowell had a show on the Discovery channel called "Interior Motives." Mario Buatta was his guest one time. Lowell showed him photos of rooms of "ordinary people" who were looking for decorating help and Buatta offered his suggestions for improvement. Then Lowell, in all seriousness because these were his dedicated viewers who came to him for help, showed Buatta a photograph of a large-screen television console set against a backdrop wallpapered in a license-plate motif. The top of the console was decorated with a long line of beer cans.
After a bit of silent thought, Buatta offered his solution: "Put a match to it."
The audience gasped and Lowell appeared dismayed at Buatta's flippant reply. As they say, one man's trash really is another man's treasure.
35
Minimalists are in style these days. Mr. Buatta had fun and made the world a warmer friendly place. Why not have a yellow living room? It is a way to add sunshine to your life! Porcelain vegetables are so collectible.One's chintz divan is full of flowers, colors, and is just right place to read an Anthony Trollope novel . We now yearn for those days of romantic furnishings. Reality and stark black, white and taupe decor are a bit depressing, don't you think? Open the wine bottle, forget the mean world outside, and bathe in lovely colors and happy thoughts.
130
Maybe his taste was a bit too Cluttered and Victorian, But it was warmer and friendlier than the bear stone modern boxes that seem to be so popular now. To each his own.
75
Have friends that become repositories for their families china, furniture, etc. and have no idea what to do with it all since the younger generation is not interested in most if not all of it. One friend has been giving items to various museums Which is great for somethings but what do you do with multiple sets of Limoges china (not dishwasher safe).
25
I knew Mario from the antique gallery I worked for. I loved his passion for craftsmanship and the history of an item. He certainly did have a mischievous sense of humor, when I first started as a young woman, he and the designer David Kleinberg pretended to be IRS agents when they first came inside, they had me going pretty good for a moment.
65
If he loved animals particularly canines so much, will non-profit animal shelters get money from the sale? I certainly hope.
25
I loved the article mostly for the depiction of Mr. Buatta's personality and the warmth and understanding of his friends.
45
I loved the style, but as I work toward downsizing, I am not acquiring any new decorations or furniture. And while I am a terrible housekeeper, a home covered in perma-dust is never beautiful, even if beautiful things are kept there. The point of a home is to enjoy living and entertaining there.
40
These items will sell due to their provenance. Our own stuff will end up at goodwill!
56
A designer's home is simultaneously a showroom, a stockroom and a domicile. Like many in this business, it's common for a client to "purchase" pieces right out of a designer's home so there is a constant rotation of furniture and decor flowing in and out continually. That's the nature of the business. No doubt Buatta enjoyed the constant creative opportunity to restyle as pieces moved on through and bought accordingly.
Here is a man who had a long successful career. Really, what is so egregious that so many now peevishly diminish how he chose to do business? Or live in his own home? He cultivated a niche aesthetic that competed with other schools of design. It seems fine, desirable, to have many viewpoints, opinions and styles in all aspects of life. When we lose that diversity, we're all the poorer. Buatta needn't meet with anyone's approval to like what he liked.
100
@Name as someone else commented, the world needs diversity. But this fellow didn’t allow anyone into his residences until very late in life. No clients ever got to buy his personal stuff.
5
@Tom
You may have misread on this point. He didn't permit housekeepers in to clean for him, particularily later in life, when his age and infirmity allowed for dust bunnies and such. Of course he pulled lots of pieces from his collections for projects throughout his long career, but obviously kept much of what was dear, meaningful, significant etc. His prerogative.
It's also the case that his own rooms were a calling card too, photos filling shelter magazines and serving to attract clientele and the rest of the world who took influence and inspiration through that exposure. If I made my living by re-imagining my "buttah-yellow" living room for paying clients, you can bet that I wouldn't be throwing dinner parties there, it would be off-limits to the nieces and nephews, and I might be reticent to have cleaners or workman bumbling about. (The last work I had done around my home resulted in one bad apple among a big crew stealing a precious unique piece of art right from the wall. Sadly, that happens).
27
@Name Jeez, @bame, please read the story. Buattala did not allow house keepers or anyone else into his home(s). This was one of his major peculiarities. And why he needed rented storage spaces. This touching story is very clear on this issue. Re-rad the story. He didn't allow visitors of any kind.
4
Mario Buatta was a charming and kind man. When I started a new magazine, he was very encouraging. As far as style, "to each his own." Having a love of beautiful things--even interesting things--even not so swell things perhaps--is not a sin. One does not become a "prince" without a kingdom. And Mario created one for himself and for those who loved his style the comfort of excess.
127
Yes, he was kind and charming.
23
"Like Andy Warhol" indeed: an overrated, hypermaterialistic phony. Mr. Buatta's "taste" may have defined a certain person of a certain class in a certain era, but can be summed up by a term understood by all people of any class or era: "Grandmother Chic."
18
@Tony Case Which apparently has been replaced today by IKEA-Chic, as in IKEA-cheap!
37
@Tony Case
I always loved country English and everything he did that was published.
20
@Tony Case: Whereas today we have "particle-board ugly" off-gassing formaldehyde into our homes.
47
His decorating style reminds me of what one would see in the South or in parts of Texas.
12
@Katrin Really, was it necessary to cast a dig at an entire section of the country? Last time I was in your state - Wisconsin - I did not remember being charmed by the decorating style there.
42
I love antiques and history and beautiful things. But having just dealt with an elderly relative’s estate, with months of clearing out, sorting, and valuing rooms and rooms and rooms of things, books, papers, all I can think of is, poor Ms. Erdmann! At least she’s probably getting paid, but you can’t imagine how soul-deadening a job this is until you’ve had to take it on. And dying without a will—if he wasn’t dead already and I was his heir/executor, I’d want to kill him.
151
I agree you, in the sense that leaving this much behind is a great burden to your loved ones. My siblings and I had to do this for our mother's house, four years ago. The Danish practise what's known as "döstädning" or "death cleaning" (clearing out or de-cluttering near the end of one's life, to lessen this burden), and I think I'm getting more on board with this idea all the time.
46
I love it. More is more! It’s great. Beyond fabulous and what a way to live surrounded by the things you love that captured your eye over the years and were collected and saved.
37
So, if a hoarder has expensive stuff he's a collector?
196
I had never heard of this guy. But at least now I have a name for how my 1856 house, crammed with antiques of all types, is “decorated.”
17
@Lightning14 Wow. It is painful to realize that there are people interested in historic objects who are not aware of him. That is not a criticism. Just a recognition that fame is truly fleeting.
23
Unless family heirlooms from a crazy but beloved granny, this stuff would’ve been in poor taste even in the 70s & 80s.
12
Less is a bore
80
There’s a movie or book to be made about this man, his approach to art and self expression during those years with some very fascinating people!
16
I respect Buatta's passionate devotion to what he did, but looking at these photos stirs in me the same revulsion I felt in the late 1980s, as wealth-worship and the adulation of fussy, self-proclaimingly opulent stuff took over. ("Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," anyone?)
Even though Buatta's aesthetic is somewhat different from that of djt's gilded interiors, the affect is, depressingly, too similar: a yearning to belong to the patrician class, and a grievously wrongheaded veneration of its values. (Jacob Rees-Mogg, anyone?)
Give me the clean lines of mid-century modern any day; give me a progressive thinker with an eye on maximizing *everyone's* happiness and well-being.
49
@JJ
I don't see wealth worship in his work. I see an artist. you can take away some idea for your own home. I respect the passion he had for antques. I am not a collector but appreciate people who are. It is in their blood.
28
He did not pursue the palms—he perused them!
12
Another excellent, amusing-yet-profound P Green article!
24
I am going to use the description “exotic disarray” the next time someone gives me the stink eye for my home decor (“cluttered” would be an understatement). “Dust is a protective coating.” Love it! I might needlepoint that on a pillow.
If Bugatti had that much stuff piled up, with no housekeeping help, he undoubtedly had mice. Not saying how I know. I pity those who had to sort through it. Been there.
This kind of hoarding is interesting, from a psychological perspective. You have a man who had a disapproving, withholding father, and a mother who kept an all-white, meticulously sanitized home. He grows up to become a decorator whose style is overstuffed, bodacious opulence meets cozy country house. I’d say he was making up for what was lacking in his youth. Say what you will about his overblown style — very passé now, but right in point for his time — but you must admit is cozy and enveloping. His rooms hug the people in them. I kind of like that look, still. Minimalism can be chilly.
Now I’m going to try to get back to my Swedish Death Cleaning project. The one I started about a year ago. I stalled out a few months ago, thoroughly discouraged. Anyone want a set of Waterford china?
177
@Passion for Peaches Love this, especially the Swedish Death Cleaning!
29
Blame the autocorrect mice for changing Buatta to Bugatti. Blame me for not catching it. Darned mice.
42
@Passion for Peaches Ooh! Waterford china! Now, I use my nice things (silver, crystal, china, linens, napery) often. My 90-year-old mother's saying was "Use it now; you don't know when the Russians are coming..."
198
Ugh is all I can say!
14
@LRC
Beautiful and exotic is all I can say.
41
This style is truly insane. I'd never want it for myself, but I absolutely love and admire his commitment to an aesthetic that brought him joy. I only wish there were even more pictures!
141
How sad that this man fussed and fussed over things, was utterly appalled by a soap dish, was obsessed with staging and impressing, etc. Think what he could have done for humanity had he applied the same meticulous attention to helping human kind! I’m all for creating a comfortable home but when that becomes your only obsession and you dedicate your waking life to buying and collecting, well, you have a problem. He was a wealthy person’s version of the tv show Hoarders. Tragic.
19
@Hortencia
We all have the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. You have your happiness, I have mine, he had his. Celebrate the joy of these fantastic objects !! I love them and I admire him for fulfilling this joy that he paid for with his own resourcefulness and talent.
76
@Hortencia: Are you imagining he might have cured cancer if only he'd given up on decorating?!
He did what he enjoyed and loved doing, and that people paid him very good money to do. He harmed no one in the process. There's nothing wrong with the life he lived, and nothing that he ought to have done differently.
64
@Hortencia I assume you never heard of him before this article, and only understand who he is from his collecting. His obsession was design and he dedicated his waking life to design. His interiors were highly admired and influential, and while not to my taste were exceptionally beautiful. There are stories about Frank Lloyd Wright interfering in how others adjusted his designs that are "worse" than the one about the soap dish! Extremely talented people are perfectionists. They are helping human kind by designing. I'm an architect, so naturally I cannot relate to your horror at dedicating one's life to design as if it were a wasted one. No tragedy here.
33
A lifetime devoted to acquiring "stuff", how sad.
22
@Drew I think people should do what brings them joy, if it's not hurting someone else.
39
@Drew: As opposed to a lifetime devoted to binge-watching TV shows, or playing video games, or drinking beer or getting stoned?
Buatta had friends and he enjoyed spending time with them, and he was respected in his field.
I wonder what everyone who up-voted your comment is spending their lives doing?
34
Mario was fortunate indeed to have found such a friend as acclaimed design expert Emily Evans Eerdmans who had the chops and the wherewithal to assist Sotheby’s with this monumental sale. Bravo to her and to Sotheby’s who understand that although this exuberant and very specific taste may be a thing of the past in some circles, all is not lost and I predict that this sale will be an enormous success!
76
He abhorred a friend's soap dish but thought pillows with cheesy sayings OK?
29
It feels so empty of love..it is so full yet he was so alone...and as one can attest form the article, terribly inconsiderate personnality.
22
@Laura Lord Belle: "Empty of love"? That's quite a judgment about someone you've never met (and his home), based on what it says in this one article you've read! Perhaps you can give me design advice without seeing my apartment while you're at it.
15
I have to ask, what does "off-limits" mean for a living room? And why famously?
Were there hordes of tourists trying to sneak a peak?
Did he entertain regularly, but with a velvet rope across the living room door?
Maybe he locked it away and gave everyone who entered the house ominous-yet-tantalizing warnings never to open the door, Bluebeard-style?
And if it was really off-limits, just how dusty were all those knick-knacks when Sotheby's finally violated the inviolate vault?
16
The colors and patterns of his fabrics, the exquisite lines of his furniture and the whimsical paintings, porcelain and objects have been and will continue to be everything I've loved in decorating.
55
I bookmark interiors like this to give my own abode, which, like me, is in a slight yet continual state of stylish disarray, permission to be what it is: a celebration of all the people, places, and things that have made my life interesting and enjoyable. RIP to an original!
86
I really enjoyed looking at this man's interiors. However, I would not be looking forward to dusting and maintaining them, and I suspect few are. Even fewer would enjoy carefully packing and inventorying each item for a move--something large numbers of Boomers, Xers, and Millennials have been forced to do to keep decent jobs. The stability to have these proliferating collections is definitely a luxury item in itself.
28
Too much of everything is just enough.
Love his style then and now. Timeless.
107
A great interior designer. My home is a tribute to him. The style is fading with the young's thirst to scatter junk around their homes and call it design. But Buatta's imprint can still be found in the finest homes and it will last -- although diminished -- for generations.
100
@concerned citizen Interesting. I think many of the young prefer to have very little scattered around their houses. If I had all the money in the world, I couldn't imagine stuffing my house with all these random objects!
34
@concerned citizen If any interior design style can be described as scattering junk around, surely it's Mario Buatta's.
23
@concerned citizen
Kinda funny, cuz Sothebys sent me the 10lb brick Buatta catalogues and I flipped through. All this stuff is exactly that: junk. It's the theatre of layering it exuberantly that makes it appear as "good" stuff, but each item on its own has no real merit or pedigree in terms of maker/artist. Well, maybe some of the trinkets, but on the whole it's all just junk.
31
I find the contemporary minimalist aesthetic to be somewhat cold and anonymous. But, wow this guy really slathered about in a soup of frippery. There must be a pleasing medium to be found somewhere...ooh, I think it’s under the sofa by the Chinese screen.
114
@Trish "slathered in a soup of frippery"-I'll steal that.
19
@Trish
at 76 I need minimalist bc I cant clean constantly. everyone I know that is older that has a big house wants a small house. I can understand why his house had dust. I love his use of color.it is pleasing to the eye.
16
Gorgeous Gorgeous taste in everything. I love every single object and the dog paintings especially. The spread on his Gothic house in W of I is open in front of me and I am so happy to have run across this article too.
46
@whith
I am inspired to see out some the Lettuce Ware on internet as we speak.
13
Oh dear. My ideal walls are “buttah yellah,” I own a few porcelain vegetables, and I love eclectic jumbles of bright accent colors. Am I alone in adoring the pictured interiors? The difference between me and the deceased is money. And dust rags.
202
@Barbara Morrell, I like them, too. But maybe not those blue bows.
19
@Barbara Morrell I love them too. I do think the photographer didn't do them justice. The only good photo is the one from the 1990s. It makes you realize that photographing interiors is an art form in itself.
29
“Am I alone in adoring the pictures interiors?”
Apparently not. I get goosebumps ogling the lettuce ware, which I’ve always loved. Just google “Dodie Thayer lettuce ware tureen” and look at the delicacy and detail of the object shown on the bidsquare.com site (NOT the Tory Burch version, which should be outlawed). Pure aesthetic heaven!
32
Sad
22
@Susan Kuhlman, sad? Maybe in your eyes. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the pictures of Mr. Buatta’s delightful treasure trove. I thought he possessed great taste and actually had fun and joy collecting these valuable and beautiful riches.
29
This man had far too much money and far too little 'taste'!
35
@Gardiner
He enjoyed it all immensely, and he made a living from it. Now he's gone and couldn't take it with him, and it's left to the living to deal with it. Not his problem.
I feel the same way about my modest (but perhaps excessive by modern standards) collection of thrift-store finds. There are people my kids can hire to clean out the house once I'm gone. I do hope that everything goes to someone who would enjoy it, rather than getting dumped in the alley and being hauled away to the landfill; I hate the idea of erasing history. But again, I won't ever know, and it won't be my problem.
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@Gardiner I’d love to see what your definition of taste is .
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@Gardiner I think some of the acquisitions were intended to be sold to his clients when needed. Why not use them instead of warehousing?
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